These days, the best role models seem to be the local ones because they are helping as many people as they can. They are all around us and easy to spot. They feed the hungry. They watch out for their neighbors. They keep vital services going. They risk their lives to care for others. These are people worth looking up to. They deserve our faith and trust.
There was a time our bedrock institutions provided people we could look up to: politicians, bankers, business executives, publishers, clergy and educators. We had faith in these people. We believed they would do the “right thing”, whatever that meant to us at the time. We based our belief on how the leaders behaved, what they said, what they did, who they worked with, how they worked, and the impact on others.
We wanted our role models to help us and those around us pursue our version of the American Dream. We wanted our kids and grandkids to move forward and upward with each generation better off than the previous one. We wanted to believe in the people we looked up to and often did. Sometimes they delivered.
Over the past 30-40 years (a long time) there seem to be fewer and fewer public figures to use as role models. Too often we have to search carefully to find them because there are so many unethical politicians, self-dealing bankers, over-compensated executives, biased publishers, clergy exploiting their flock, and educators who have lost their way. Too many leaders serve themselves and their interests primarily. Others come second, if at all.
As I’ve looked near and far for role models, I found one approach helped me choose my role models. I call the approach the “If-We-All” test. I hope the If-We-All test will help you choose good role models or at least better ones.
If we all behaved as our role model did, would that have a positive impact on many people or only a few? Is our role model selfless or selfish? What about being a role model yourself? If people who looked up to us followed our lead as a role model, would they and the people around us be better off? Are we helping others or mostly ourselves?
If others looked up to us would they see a role model worth following? It really doesn’t take much. Be kind. Take time to truly listen. Empathize. Take care of your neighbors. Don’t be hurtful. And these days, wear masks in public places and maintain social distance.
Whether we want to be a role model or not, most of us are. Even if we don’t know it, sometimes other people are watching us. Some of them are modeling our behavior including our kids, loved ones and neighbors. Let’s not disappoint them. If we were the best role model we could be, more of us will come through this storm better than we were before.
Jim Geisman is a resident of Greenfield. He welcomes your comments at jgeisman@gmail.com.